Monaco Court Hears Superyacht Case
An interesting case is being heard in the courts of Monaco with an outcome expected just days before the Monaco Yacht Show opens.
It concerns a yacht whose owner booked and paid for a slot for his yacht which is for sale to appear at the show.
Having secured the berth and made all the arrangements for the yacht to be there on time he was subsequently told that the yacht would not after all be allowed to attend.
The yacht in question is the 54 metre Mischief built in 2006 by Baglietto as Blue Scorpion.
The problem appears to be that, the owner of the yacht has launched a new Web site that is challenging the way yachts are made available for charter
The Ahoy Club is a new and different concept that seeks to change the booking process when chartering a Superyacht saving time, effort and money.
In the opening pages of its new Web site, it claims to do so without any loss in revenues to owners or Central Agents yet elsewhere the wording reveals: “Significantly reduced commissions.”
Yacht owning members of the club remain in full control of their Yachts availability, scheduling, pricing, yacht rules, and how they interact with guests.
It allows owners to determine their own calendar and post their own specials at will to maximise their yachts utilisation.
Charterers have the ability to access and update their booking information at the touch of a finger.
The Ahoy Club claims to offer “Yachts at the best available charter rates, saving you up to 20% or even more when you also consider the VAT savings. So the negotiation is already done for you, so you can spend your time enjoying the experience of choosing the yacht you want without confrontation.”
A lawsuit filed in Monaco by the yachts owner alleges a breach of contract.
He believes he has been excluded from the show because the industry is controlled by superyacht brokers unhappy with the way Ahoy Club, undercuts traditional brokers by charging 7 per cent commission instead of 20 per cent.
